2 Samuel 2
1 Some time after that, David asked Yahweh, “Should I go back to [live in] one of the towns in Judah?” Yahweh replied, “Yes, go up there.” Then David asked, “To which town should I go?” Yahweh replied, “To Hebron.”
這事以後，達味求問上主說：「我是否可以上猶大的一座城中去﹖」上主對他說：「可以。」達味又問說：「我上何處去﹖」答說：「往赫貝龍去。」
2 So David went up there, taking his two wives, Ahinoam who was from Jezreel [city], and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel [city].
於是達味帶著他兩個妻子：依次勒耳人阿希諾罕和作過加爾默耳人納巴耳妻子的阿彼蓋耳，上那裏去了。
3 He also took the men who had been with him, and their families. They all started to live in villages near Hebron.
凡跟隨達味的人，他也叫他們各帶家眷一起上去，住在赫類龍城各區內。
4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and [one of] them poured olive oil on David’s head [to show they were appointing him to be] [MTY] the king of the tribe [MTY] of Judah. When David found out that the people of Jabesh [town] in [the] Gilead [region] had buried Saul’s body,
以後，猶大人來，在那裏給達味傅油，立他作猶大家族的君王。有人告訴達味，基肋阿得雅貝士人埋葬了撒烏耳。
5 he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh to tell them this: “I desire/hope that Yahweh will bless you for having shown, by burying the body of Saul your king, that you were loyal to him.
達味就派遣使者到基肋阿得雅貝士人那裏，向他們說：「願上主祝福你們! 因為你們對你們的主上撒烏耳行了這件善事，將他埋葬了。
6 Now I also desire/hope that Yahweh will faithfully love you and be loyal to you. And I will do good things for you because of what you have done [for Saul].
願上主對你們顯示他的慈愛和忠信! 因為你們作了這事，我也要恩待你們。
7 Now, although Saul your king is dead, be strong and courageous, like the people of Judah, who have appointed me to be their king.”
現在你們要加強自己的力量，作勇敢的人，因為你們的主上撒烏耳已經陣亡，但猶大家族已給我傅油，立我做了他們的君王。」
8 [While this was happening], Ner’s son Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ishbosheth and went across [the Jordan River] to Mahanaim [town].
那時，撒烏耳的軍長，乃爾的兒子阿貝乃爾，已帶領撒烏耳的兒子依市巴耳過河，到了瑪哈納殷，
9 There Abner proclaimed that Ishbosheth was now the king of [the] Gilead [region] and of the tribe of Asher and the region of Jezreel and the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin. That meant that he was the king of all of the people of Israel.
立他為基肋阿得、革叔爾、依次勒耳、厄弗辣因、本雅明，全以色列的君王。
10 Ishbosheth was 40 years old when he started to rule over the people of Israel. He ruled them for two years. But the tribe of Judah (was loyal to David/wanted David to be their king),
撒烏耳的兒子依市巴耳為以色列王時，已四十歲，為王兩年。此時隨從達味的，只有猶大家族。
11 and he ruled them for seven and a half years while he was living in Hebron.
達味在赫貝龍作猶大家族君王的年數，共七年零六個月。
12 [One day] Abner and the officials of Isbosheth went from Mahanaim [across the Jordan River] to Gibeon [city].
乃爾的兒子阿貝乃爾和撒烏耳的兒子依市巴耳的臣僕，從瑪哈納殷來到基貝紅。
13 Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, and some of David’s officials [went from Hebron to Gibeon, and] met at the pool there. They all sat down, the one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the other side.
責魯雅的兒子約阿布和達味的臣僕，也從赫貝龍出發，彼此在基貝紅池旁相遇，雙方就都停下，各立在水池一邊。
14 Abner said to Joab, “Let’s tell some of our young men to fight each other!” Joab replied, “Okay!”
阿貝乃爾對約阿布說：「讓青年人出來，在我們面前比比武! 」約阿布答說：「好，叫他們出來! 」
15 So twelve men from the tribe of Benjamin fought for Ishbosheth, against twelve of David’s soldiers.
他們就出來，點了人數，十二個本雅明人在撒烏耳的兒子依市巴耳一面，由達味的僕味的僕從中，也出來十二個人。
16 Each of them grabbed the head of the man against whom he was fighting, and thrust his sword into that man’s side. The result was that all 24 of them fell down dead. So that area in Gibeon is now called ‘Field of Swords’.
每人抓住對方的頭，用力猛刺對方的腰，雙方都同時倒下；因此那地方叫作匝得平原，離基貝紅不遠。
17 Then [the others started to fight]. It was a very fierce battle. Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s soldiers.
那天也發生了很激烈的戰鬥，阿貝乃爾和以色列人，竟為達味的臣僕打敗。
18 Zeruiah’s three sons were there [on that day]: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was able to run very fast; he could run as fast as a wild gazelle/antelope.
責魯雅的三個兒子約阿布、阿彼瑟與阿撒耳，那時都在場，阿撒耳的腿快捷像野羚羊。
19 Asahel started to pursue Abner. He ran straight toward Abner, without stopping.
阿撒耳便去追趕阿貝乃爾，不左不右，直追阿貝乃爾。
20 Abner looked behind him, and said “Is that you, Asahel?” Asahel replied, “Yes!”
阿貝乃爾轉過身來問說：「你是阿撒耳嗎﹖」他答說：「我是。」
21 Abner yelled at him, “Turn to one side or the other, [and pursue someone else]!” But Asahel would not stop pursuing Abner.
阿貝乃爾對他說：「你轉左或轉右，捉住一個青年，奪取他的裝備罷! 」但阿撒耳卻不肯放鬆他。
22 So Abner yelled at him again, “Stop (chasing after/pursuing) me! (Why should I kill you?/It would not be good for me to kill you!) [RHQ] If I did that, (how could I (face/be reconciled with) your brother Joab?/it would be very difficult for me to (face/be reconciled with) your brother Joab.) [RHQ]”
阿貝乃爾就再對阿撒耳說：「你不要再追趕我了，為什麼逼我將你擊倒在地，叫我日後怎有臉再見你的兄弟約阿布﹖
23 But Asahel refused to stop pursuing Abner. So Abner [suddenly turned and] thrust the butt end of his spear into Asahel’s stomach. Because he thrust it very strongly, that end of the spear [went though Asahel’s body and] came out at his back, and he fell to the ground, dead. All the other soldiers who came to the place where his body was lying stopped and stood there, [stunned].
阿撒耳仍不肯罷休。阿貝乃爾就調過槍來，擊中了他的腹部，槍由背後穿出，他就倒在那裏，當下死了。凡來到阿撒耳倒斃的地方的人，都站住了。
24 But Joab and Abishai continued to pursue Abner. At sunset they came to Ammah Hill, which is east of Giah, along the road to the desert near Gibeon.
約阿布和阿彼瑟仍在追趕阿貝乃爾，當他們來到往革巴曠野去的路上，基亞前的阿瑪山崗時，太陽就快要西落。
25 The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner in one group, and stood at the top of a hill.
本雅明人集結成隊，跟在阿貝乃爾後邊，站在一座小山頭上。
26 Then Abner called out to Joab, saying “Are we going to continue to fight forever [RHQ]? Do you not realize that [if we continue fighting], the result will be very bad [RHQ]? We are all descendants of Jacob. [So we should stop fighting each other] (How long will it be until you tell your soldiers to stop pursuing us?/Tell your soldiers to stop pursuing us.)” [RHQ]
阿貝乃爾向約阿布喊說：「刀劍豈能永遠擊殺﹖你豈不知結局更為不幸﹖幾時你纔命眾人轉身，不再追趕自己的兄弟﹖」
27 Joab replied, “Just as surely as God lives, if you had not said that, my soldiers would have continued pursuing your men until tomorrow morning!”
約阿布答說：「上主永在! 若你不發言，眾人直到早晨，連一個也不會停止追趕自己的兄弟! 」
28 So Joab blew a trumpet [to signal that they should stop fighting]. So all his men did that. They did not pursue the soldiers of Israel any more, and they stopped fighting.
約阿布遂吹號，眾人就停下，不再追趕以色列人，不再進攻。
29 That night Abner and his soldiers went through the Jordan [River] Valley. They crossed the Jordan [River] and marched all the next morning, and they finally arrived at Mahanaim.
阿貝乃爾同他的人，那一整夜走過了阿辣巴平原，過了約但河，以後，又走了一上午，終于到了瑪哈納殷。
30 Joab [and his soldiers] stopped pursuing Abner. And when he gathered all his soldiers together, he found out that in addition to Asahel, only 19 of them had been killed in the battle.
約阿布追趕阿貝乃爾回來，召集了自己的人，達味僕人中，除阿撒耳外，少了十九人。
31 But David’s soldiers had killed 360 of Abner’s men, all from the tribe of Benjamin.
但阿貝乃爾所帶的本雅明人中，有三百六十人，為達味的臣僕殺死。
32 [Some of Joab’s soldiers] took Asahel’s body and buried it in the tomb where his father had been buried, in Bethlehem. Then they marched all during the night, and at dawn they arrived [back home] at Hebron.
遂將阿撒耳的屍體帶回，埋在白冷他父親的墳墓內。約阿布同他的人走了一夜，天亮時已到赫貝龍。
